Every day a slew of press releases come to my computer via e-mail. They are appreciated, and used, as a source of endless and educational information,
Last week one arrived from PETA, the animal rights organization. Now that was a shock. What in the world does PETA have to do with aviation? Nothing, I guess, but PETA would like to change that.Â
This release was so out of the ordinary that I confirmed it with PETA just to be sure it isn’t a hoax. It is not.
PETA sent a letter to Hawaiian Airlines offering to promote the airline to PETA’s 2 million members and supporters if the airline becomes the official airline of PETA’s “sea kittens.†Sea kitten is the term devised by PETA to “raise consciousness about the wonderful animals who are commonly known as fish.â€
The letter included a picture of a Hawaiian airliner with a sign saying “The Official Airline of Sea Kittens.†I have no information about the response of the airline to PETA.
Before you label this as a cockamamie idea, consider this: Even if it never happens, PETA will get a lot of media attention. After all, you’re reading about it here, and I bet you’ll see it elsewhere, too. They must have sent those releases to a blue jillion media outlets, and some of them will pay off.
This reminds me of Kulula Air’s “Flying 101,†a 737 with a blueprint of the airplane painted all over the exterior. That got great publicity all over, so now everyone knows the name of the South African passenger jet.
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